English language and literature teachers, postsecondary
Teach courses in English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
English language and literature teachers, postsecondary teach courses in English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research. The role reports a median annual salary of $78,270 in the US and is showing modest growth of 0% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a Doctoral or professional degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.51 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Reading Comprehension, Instructing, Writing, Speaking, Learning Strategies.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £52,835 a year for Higher education teaching professionals (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £42,062 to £66,191 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2311). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only English language and literature teachers, postsecondary, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Qualification Master's degree in English (at least 55%; 50% for reserved categories)[1]
- 2 · Entrance exam UGC-NET in English[2][1]
- 3 · First role Assistant Professor in a college or university (subject to its recruitment rules)[2]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- UGC-NET June 2025 Information Bulletin — NTA (read on 2026-09-27)
- UGC-NET — National Testing Agency (read on 2026-09-27)
2 open listings on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Communications and Media
- History and Archeology
- Philosophy and Theology
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Customer and Personal Service
- Computers and Electronics
A day in the life
You start the morning with a stack of essays, reading closely and writing comments that help each student sharpen an argument or tighten a paragraph. Late morning you teach a class on the structure of the novel, reading a passage aloud and asking students what the writer is doing and why it matters. After lunch you run a writing workshop, working through drafts line by line and showing how small changes make prose clearer. In the afternoon you meet a student who has fallen behind, agreeing a plan to catch up and suggesting extra reading. You also revise the reading list for next term, balancing classic works with newer voices, and update attendance and marks. Before heading home you read a new critical study for your own research. Marking takes up far more time than people imagine, but a student's sudden love for a book they expected to hate makes it all worthwhile.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Teach writing or communication classes.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does English language and literature teachers, postsecondary do?
Teach courses in English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
What does a typical day look like in English language and literature teachers, postsecondary?
You start the morning with a stack of essays, reading closely and writing comments that help each student sharpen an argument or tighten a paragraph. Late morning you teach a class on the structure of the novel, reading a passage aloud and asking students what the writer is doing and why it matters. After lunch you run a writing workshop, working through drafts line by line and showing how small changes make prose clearer.
How much does English language and literature teachers, postsecondary earn?
The median annual salary for English language and literature teachers, postsecondary in the US is $78,270.
What is the job outlook for English language and literature teachers, postsecondary?
The role is showing modest growth of 0% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 72,200 workers.
How do I become english language and literature teachers, postsecondary?
The typical entry education is a Doctoral or professional degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does English language and literature teachers, postsecondary need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Reading Comprehension, Instructing, Writing, Speaking, Learning Strategies, Active Listening. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace English language and literature teachers, postsecondary?
Our AI-durability model gives English language and literature teachers, postsecondary a score of 0.51 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
English language and literature teachers, postsecondary has very high barrier to entry — very highly gated — extended graduate education, licensure, or years of specialised training are required.